Eric's eyes met Della's across the dining table, but her gaze was icy, devoid of the warmth he once knew. They had been inseparable since childhood, their friendship blossoming into something more. But that was before his world came crashing down.
"So, why the sudden invitation?" Eric asked, trying to sound casual despite the turmoil brewing inside.
Della's expression remained indifferent as she introduced herself, her voice dripping with formality. "I'm Della Moore from Milot City. I graduated from Webinar University, I offered..."
Eric's amusement faltered as he realized this wasn't the reunion he had hoped for, so he cut her words short
"Della, we've known each other since we were kids. What's going on?"
Her eyes flashed with anger. "We may have been friends, Eric, but that's all in the past. We're done."
Eric's hands paused on his phone, and he replied calmly, "If we weren't in a private room, I'd be humiliated."
He looked up, his eyes locking onto Della's. "I know I'm not the rich guy I used to be. I can't afford the luxuries I once had. My parents are gone, and their properties were stolen from me."
Della's expression twisted in disdain. "We're not on the same level anymore, Eric. I'm a graduate, and you're just a poor guy with worn-out clothes and a cheap phone." She glanced at his attire, her eyes lingering on the faded fabric. "You look like you've given up on life."
Eric's fist clenched, his fingers almost digging into his palm. He tried to speak, but words failed him. The pain of his past mistakes and losses threatened to overwhelm him.
Della continued, her voice calm but laced with venom. "Despite everything, I'm willing to lower myself to your level and ask you out again. Meet me on the suspension bridge this evening."
Eric's gaze held a hint of sorrow as he looked at the girl he once called his girlfriend. They had been childhood friends, their relationship blossoming into something more. But everything changed when Eric when his father died.
Eric's thoughts swirled with memories of his past, his family's downfall, and his own struggles. He felt a deep sense of loss and regret. He had lost everything: his family, his fortune, and now, the girl he loved.
His father, Thomas Lord ,a tycoon, had died in a plane, not in an accident, but from a sudden heart attack. Eric's world was shattered. After his father's death, his mother, Diana, was poisoned, but who knows what happened, the diagnosis stated that it was a congenital disorder that only manifested after her husband's passing.
Eric was even sacked from school without knowing what he had done wrong.
To make matters worse, his uncles and aunts, who had once been supported by his father's generosity, turned against them. They fought over the properties, leaving the once-healthy and prosperous family in shambles. Eric's mother used their savings to prolong her life, but it only cemented their downfall. From being tycoons to becoming poor and struggling to afford even a single meal a day.
Eric rearranged his messy thoughts and replied with a low tone "I'll be there"